VCE exams 2022: Top achievers give their study tips for maths and science
Top VCE achievers have given their best tips for acing the maths and science exams and how to avoid making silly mistakes.
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Rion Ahl, a 50-score student and co-founder of 50Coach, says don’t forget to bring these six things to your exams:
Student ID
Clear water bottle
Calculator if required
Clear Pencil Case
Spare Pens, Pencils, Rulers, Erasers, Sharpener (spare everything)
Stress-free Transport
“Whether you’ve done well or badly on English, it’s time to refocus and ensure that you spend your last few weeks looking forward at your next exams – there’s no point in reflecting backwards,” Rion said.
“Stop studying the day of your exam – look at a few notes, avoid the scourge of panic of all your friends asking last minute questions – none of it will help. You’ve made it this far and all your study will pay off.
“Finally, have fun! We know this might sound like a strange thing to say about a VCE exam, but the end of year exams is an opportunity for you to put all your hard work into practise. Go in with confidence and demand those marks from your examiner!” Rion said.
Tutors from 50Coach – who have all got a raw 50 in their subject areas – have put together this guide to some of the big science and maths exams.
50Coach delivers live online tutoring classes taught by only those who got a raw 50 in the subject for just $20 an hour.” for a bit of contextualism?
Biology – Chen Wang – ATAR 99.95, 50 in Biology and medicine student.
Be sure to answer the question in context and to refer to the protein/organism/process mentioned in the question. Students may lose marks if their answer simply regurgitates a generic template or if they make an implication that is irrelevant to the question.
Answer the whole question – it’s great to keep writing about what molecular homology is, but not so great to forget to write that there had been “more/less time to accumulate differences in the two organisms’ DNA”.
Read over the new Frequently Asked Questions document to gauge the depth of knowledge required for each dot point.
Use diagrams, videos and other online resources to visualise and understand a biological process such as the use of CRISPR-Cas9 in editing genomes, rather than re-reading the textbook over and over again.
By reading the study design, past VCAA exam questions, and examples you have been taught in class, you can create a keyword list. Studying every step in the C4 and CAM photosynthetic pathways may not be the best way to study when these are not required knowledge – studying harder doesn’t always yield better results!
Many questions worth more than 3 marks require you to describe a sequence of events in a biological process, such as transcription, fossilisation in rock, sympatric speciation, and antigen presentation. Consider making a generic sequence of events for these processes (there are plenty of examples on past VCAA exams) and adapting them to the context in the question.
Read the questions in the short answer section in reading time and plan your responses.
FURTHER MATHS – ANDREW KROGER – ATAR 99.15, 50 IN FURTHER MATHS AND MEDICINE STUDENT.
Take note of your understanding of every error you have made in your practice exams. Summarise and categorise these errors to be used in the fourth tip below.
Record your errors in the back of your “Bound Reference”, which is a document you get to bring to each exam.
In reading time, prime yourself to foresee places you might make silly errors by reading through your error log in your Bound Reference.
In the final 10 minutes of the exam, refresh your memory of all of the errors you’ve made in the practice exams and then check over your paper to see if you might’ve fallen into the same traps.
Read through the examiners’ reports of previous years to understand where people go wrong in answering tricky questions.
During the exam, make sure you read and re-read the question and then immediately think of 2-3 ways the examiners might be trying to trip you up. Use your imagination as well as recalling some of the ways people have made mistakes in the past.
PSYCHOLOGY – PRI KUMAR – 50 IN PSYCHOLOGY
Always link back to an example
Time and time again, students lose easy marks on the exam – not because they don’t know the answer, but because they aren’t specific enough. Remember, VCAA is not testing your ability to simply regurgitate content, they are testing your capacity to apply it. So, in the SAQ and ERQ make sure that you are always linking to the scenario given, and if there isn’t one, feel free to make an example up yourself!
Timing
Always keep an eye on the clock, as time management is one of the most difficult things in the exam.
Make sure you USE your reading time!!! I always used reading time to read the exam backwards (read the extended response first and roughly plan it, then observe which SAQ’s are harder than others, and use the remainder to begin doing multiple choice)
As you complete more practice exams, you will gain an idea of what sections you are strong at – use that to your advantage. I was always much better at MCQ than ERQ, and so I spent a lot more time on MCQ as that is where I thought I could secure the most marks.
Roughly, aim to spend about 40 minutes on multiple choice, 1 hour 10 minutes on short answer and 30 minutes on extended response, with the remaining time to check your answers
MATHS METHODS – ETHAN PRABS – ATAR 99.85, 50 IN METHODS AND MEDICINE STUDENT
Checking strategies are pivotal. When checking, I recommend avoiding passively re-reading your work. Instead, try using your answer or a different method to confirm your working where possible.
Map out the paper in reading time. Many students fall into the trap of treating reading time the same as writing time and trying to memorise answers for the first few questions.
My suggestion is to think about the major steps for each question in the exam. When writing time begins, you’ll know which questions you can easily attempt and an idea of how to tackle them. This will improve your time management.
All the best with your preparation and congratulations on your year 12 journey.
Additional Maths Methods advice from Daniel Hayman, senior Xavier College maths teacher
Read over examiner reports to look for common themes and misconceptions.
Use your reading time wisely. You want to ensure that you have read every question by the end of reading time. A trap that students fall into is mentally working out answers during reading time for the first few questions and then trying to answer unseen questions at the end. Only once you have read all the questions should you then begin doing the mental preparation work prior to writing time.
Answer questions in the appropriate format (If it asks for the rule of a function, give the rule of f (x) as your final answer).
Unless otherwise stated, all your answers should be in exact form.
Be across all of your notation.
Questions worth more than one mark require an appropriate amount of working out. Look at the number of marks per question.
Keep all your working out legible and logical.
Remember to include “+c” when you are finding indefinite integrals.
“Show that” questions require you to prove the answer they have given. You cannot use the thing you are trying to prove. Use it as a method of checking that the answer you get is correct.
If you are unable to complete a ‘show that’ question, you may use the answer in subsequent questions.
Sense check all your answers. Eg: Derive something you have just antiderived and see if you get the original function back OR check your transformed functions by applying the stated transformations to a couple coordinates from your original function.
Practice, practice, practice. The more practice exams you complete in the lead up to the exam the better.
Make sure you label all key features of a graph when you are required to draw a graph. These include coordinates of axial intercepts, and equations of asymptotes.
In Exam 1, remember that you have a formula sheet given to you during the exam – Know your way around this. Use the formulae at appropriate times to both generate and check your responses.
Know your exact values for trigonometric functions and be able to calculate more solutions using symmetry properties.
For exam 2, ensure your resource book is ordered in a way that you can easily access and find information.
Your resource book should include worked examples of questions you have come across.
Define functions in your CAS calculator to simplify the inputs you have to make in later questions.
DO NOT leave multiple choice questions unanswered – Even a guess has a 1 in 5 chance of being correct.
SPECIALIST MATHS – RYAN AHL – 50 IN SPECIALIST MATHS AND 99.95 ATAR.
The two exams set over two different days presents you essentially with two chances. If one does not go as planned, commit yourself to excelling in the second to balance out the overall final score.
Cover your basics
a. Underline exactly what the question is asking and take note if a single question asks for two distinct answers
b. The worst mistake to make on a specialist exam is a rounding error – so make this a priority to review if you have time remaining
c. When in doubt, always give your answer in exact form
Time is of the essence
a. Aim for one minute spent on every mark, so if there is a 3-mark question, try to complete the question in under 3 minutes. This is hard, but definitely doable with practice and will provide you with ample time to dedicate to more challenging questions on the exam
When faced with seemingly impossible questions, remind yourself that you can only be examined on the content of the study design, and that the question will have to be able to be solved with the theory you know.
CHEMISTRY – KIRRILY BORTOLUSSI – ATAR 99.85, 50 IN CHEMISTRY.
Complete Section B before Section A. 75% of the marks in the VCE Chemistry paper are in Section B. Tackling this section first allows you the best chance of gaining the maximum number of marks. If you run out of time, it is possible to guess multiple choice questions, but not short answer questions.
Answer all questions to the correct number of significant figures and with correct units. You can lose a maximum of one mark for incorrect significant figures. However, this is an easy mark not to lose if you get used to those sig figs!
Use the 15 minutes of reading time wisely. This time can be used to identify ‘easy’ marks and work out questions that may take you longer. It may be a good idea to leave the less accessible marks (those that are lower bang for your buck) until the end.
Make sure you answer questions with the correct molecular formula types. Are they asking for a semi-structural formula, a skeletal structure, a molecular formula?
Use the few days before the exam to revise the units required in each formula if you do not know them already. For example, in the equation pV = nRT used for questions related to gases, T refers to temperature in Kelvin.
Use your data book! This is probably my biggest tip. Being able to efficiently locate formulas, conversion factors, and constants under exam conditions is a huge advantage. There will not be a calculation question given that cannot be answered with the help of figures from the data book. When I was studying for VCE Chemistry I found doing all my practise exams with the data book on hand was a great way to work on this skill.
When writing chemical equations make sure to include states unless specified not to. (e.g. (aq), (l), (g), (s)).
Remember, when naming organic compounds, commas separate numbers and dashes separate numbers and letters.
PHYSICS – LIAM SHUSTER – 50 IN PHYSICS.
The VCE Physics exam tests your ability to apply the knowledge you’ve learnt throughout the course. This isn’t a test of how well you can memorise concepts but how well you understand the physics principles behind the concepts.
Calculation based questions require applying the various formulas that have been learnt, with close attention to both the values and units of the variables provided in the question, and their relation to the variable the question is asking you to find. A notes sheet containing all the formula covered in the study design is crucial for this area.
Worded problems require constructing a response to the exact question asked. Paying close attention to both the wording of the question and the marks allocated gives an indication of both the content and detail required in your response. Past VCAA examiners reports will give a sense of how to structure responses in this area.
Worded questions aren’t a test of a students’ ability to write, but of their ability to apply physics theory to the particular context. It’s often helpful to refer to formula in these worded responses to support any argument being made, and any relevant theory that may be on your prepared notes sheet.
Most importantly, think in terms of the problem presented and not the numbers.
VCE Tips for Success St Kevin’s College Acting Director of Teaching & Learning, Adam Bylsma
Print off the subject study design and make sure you are familiar with every dot point. Use highlighters to indicate what areas you need to revisit to be more confident
Move away from summarising to examination practice. Research shows that practice at this late stage improves performance more than summarising content.
Revise in collaborative peer groups – sharing ideas can help build knowledge and confidence.
Teach the content to others. It helps you identify what you still need to learn.
Think about creative ways to remember difficult concepts – our brains are more likely to remember information that is interesting or meaningful. This can be done using acronyms or diagrams or even funny short stories (called narrative chaining).
Apply deliberate practice as opposed to simple repetitive practice. Try to identify and focus on areas of weakness and work hard to improve them rather than wasting time going over content you are confident with.
Ensure you have already thought about examples, illustrations, sample essays, 10 mark responses etc. you can use in your examination. Use examples from your classwork and found in practice examinations.
Complete as many VCAA practice examinations that are (consistent with the current course) as you can. Ensure you set up a timer to practice budgeting your examination timing.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to your teacher for advice and feedback!
Best of luck to you all!
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